The Chargers have generated their fair share of NFL offseason hype. Next month, they’ll have a chance to turn that into local buzz.

The team announced Thursday its full schedule for training camp, which starts July 28 at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa. That Saturday session will be the first of 14 open practices the Chargers will host this summer, opportunities for the franchise to connect with the public as it tries to snap a four-year playoff drought.

All training camp practices will start at 10 a.m. except the intrasquad scrimmage Aug. 4, for which the time and location have not been announced. Gates will open an hour prior to the start of each practice at Jack Hammett Sports Complex, with parking available for $10 at the OC Fair and Events Center lots off Arlington Drive. No alcohol is allowed, but visitors can bring their own food and beverages. Video cameras and telephoto lenses longer than six inches are also not permitted.

One major draw for fans will be rookie safety Derwin James, who was drafted No. 17 overall and could quickly push for a starting role in a deep secondary. Offseason acquisitions like center Mike Pouncey and kicker Caleb Sturgis are also poised to make significant contributions.

Anthony Lynn led the Chargers to nine wins despite a 0-4 start as a first-year head coach, but missed the postseason on a tiebreaker. The stability on his coaching staff and his roster has convinced some pundits to pick the Chargers as the favorites in the AFC West — a division they last won in 2009. Perhaps the biggest question mark is how the team will replace tight end Hunter Henry, the talented 23-year-old who tore his ACL during OTAs last month.

The Chargers will also host joint practices with the Saints for the second consecutive season. They will practice together at Jack Hammett Sports Complex on Aug. 22 and 23, with both sessions starting at 10 a.m. New Orleans then visits StubHub Center for a preseason game at 5 p.m. Aug. 25.

When the teams practiced together a year ago, it marked a reunion of sorts for quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Drew Brees. Rivers sat behind Brees in 2004 and 2005, but has not missed a start for the Chargers since Brees left for New Orleans in 2006.

Jack Wang covers the Chargers, the latest NFL team to relocate to Los Angeles. He previously covered the Rams, and also spent four years on the UCLA beat, a strange period in which the Bruins' football program often outpaced their basketball team. He is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he spent most of his time in The Daily Californian offices in Eshleman Hall — a building that did not become earthquake-safe until after his time on campus.